THE MAGAZINE OF BOTHWELL PARISH CHURCH SCOTLAND S OLDEST COLLEGIATE CHURCH Registered Scottish Charity No: SC0 9819 Minister: The Revd. J. M. Gibson, TD. The Manse of Bothwell, 4 Manse Avenue, Bothwell, G71 8PQ Tel: 01698 853189. Email: jamesmgibson@msn.com Church Office Tel: 01698 854903 (Tuesday Friday 9am-1pm) Email: bothwellparishoffice@btconnect.com Church Website: www.bothwellparishchurch.org.uk Church Centre: 854987 Chapterhouse Café: 858566 FROM THE MINISTER Keeping busy? Of course you are. Everybody is. We re good at that. I am very good at that. In fact, of all the things we have in common at Bothwell Parish Church, perhaps the most universal and approved is that we are all very busy people. Usually, we are all busy doing important things. We all work a lot (in some cases, too much); we think we need to. Many of us are involved in a variety of worthy community projects; and our church itself is always on the lookout for anyone who finds they have a spare hour or two to help out. Very few, if any, of us devote our busyness to the frivolous, or the useless, let alone the downright wicked. Truth is, in spite of all our moans and groans and complaints about how little time we have and how much there is to do: we can be a bit smug, if not a bit too full of our own pride, about the extent of our activities. Don t you think this is odd? After all, for far too many of us, the pace of our lives damages our health, pushes to the sidelines most of our attempts at spiritual growth, drains the enjoyment from much of what we do, weakens our families and actually presents less than an ideal model to our children. We all know that. We are not stupid people. But, there is simply so much to do; and it s often hard to say No and, the fact is, it just takes so much to live on these days. However, there is a problem with the level of busyness I see in myself and detect in so many others. And it is this: even though we treat it as if it were, being busy is not a Christian value. The Church has always known that for us to grow in faith and in Christian lifestyle is not easy. It takes time. Often quiet and slow time. Another thing to ponder is if we invest so much of our time, identity and energy into all these seemingly important things that keep us so busy, what will be left of us when these things are gone? The problem with being busy I don t have a nice and easy answer to this one. Not for you and not for me. But it simply makes sense to say that, just now and again, we do need to pause. For when we hear ourselves saying that we are too busy to care about what we care about the most and to do what we know to be the most important then, we are too busy. Nowhere is that more true than with our religious life and faith. This edition of the Lantern will be available as the Church moves forward through its liturgical year into the season called Lent. Lent is the Christian season of preparation before Easter. In our culture, Ash Wednesday marks the first day. It lasts for the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert (Sundays are not included in the count). By traditon, 1 LENT/EASTER 2016 From The Minister P1 Church Register P2 Statement of Purpose P2 Quire Restoration Update P2 Sunday School article P2 The Church We Try To Be P3 2016 World Day of Prayer P3 Holy Week/Easter Services P3 Christmas to Easter Poem P3 Church Pilgrimage P3 From Organist s Bench P3 Living the Questions P4 Flower Guild Thanks P4 Fundraising Update P4 WW1 Commemoration Table P5 Lent is our opportunity to set time aside for some indepth reflection on the life and teaching of Jesus so that we might have some better understanding of what lay behind the events of Holy Week the last days in Jesus life and of the epic happenings of that first Easter Day. So, if you have not done it before, why not come along to our series of popular devotional services held during Holy Week? There is no easy way around this. The things of Christian faith are no less demanding than anything else about which we might choose to learn. For ultimately, Christian faith has to be lived through relationship. Keeping busy? Of course, you are. Everybody is. We re good at that. But what, exactly, are your priorities? A thoughtful Lent and joyful Easter! Jim Gibson.
Church Register 2015. Baptisms: August 16th. Oscar Jack Gemmill, son of Scott and Debbie Lutton, 46 Osprey Drive, Uddingston.. October 25th Oliver Mark Lutton son of Scott and Debbie Lutton, 58 Imlach Place, Motherwell. Harvey Kenneth Corey Lutton son of Scott and Debbie Lutton, 58 Imlach Place, Motherwell. Marriages: November 21st. November 28th. Dr Judith Young and Dr George Leiper, 59 Hill Street, Aberdeen. Lindsay McGlinchey and John Gaughan, 49 Belmont Dr, East Kilbride. Funerals: The Minister invites the prayers of the congregation for the relatives of the following who recently received Christian funeral: November Mrs Margaret Gibson, 41 Blairston Avenue, Bothwell. Gordon Shannon Esq, 10 Pitlochry Place, Blantyre. December Simpson Brown Esq, 44 Old Station Court, Bothwell. Eric Napier Esq, 3 Clydeview, Bothwell. 2016. Baptisms: January 31st. Funerals: January Josh Thomas William Reid son of Graeme and Katie Reid, 25 Colonsay, East Kilbride. The Minister invites the prayers of the congregation for the relatives of the following who recently received Christian funeral: Mrs Moira Berman, 12 Castle Court, Bothwell. Mrs Sheila Plumb, 3 Langside Court, Bothwell. Statement of Purpose Bothwell Parish is a congregation of the Church of Scotland and is part of the worldwide family of people belonging to the Christian Faith, worshipping God through Jesus Christ. In to the love of God for all, we seek to serve our community through worship, friendship, care and education; and to promote Christian values of concern for others, forgiveness, healing and justice. QUIRE RESTORATION UPDATE After three and a half long years, we are delighted to say that work on the repair and restoration of the church Quire is coming to its end. The final phase of work, currently being undertaken, should be completed around Easter leaving ground reinstatement and internal cleaning to be done. Thereafter, refurbishment will take place before the dividing screen in finally removed. The project has proved an incredibly time consuming and demanding task to undertake especially during a time of economic recession. However, thanks to the support of our royal Patron and the generosity of so many in the congregation, Trust and Grant bodies throughout Scotland and members of the business community, our target funding has been reached. Through recent press coverage, news of our largest donation has become known. We are delighted to publically thank Les and Virginia Hutchison for their truly magnificent support in giving 600,000 to our appeal. Though living in Barbados, Les maintains an interested membership of our church, he and Virginia being married here in 2007. Without their help our fundraising would have been so much more difficult. 2 Top Ten Reasons for Bringing Your Kids to Church Sunday Clubs There are only two reliable sources for the Christian formation of people in our culture the home and the Church. No one else out there is going to do it for us. Our responsibility is a solemn vow made at Baptism; and it is never to be taken lightly. 10. It gives them roots and wings at the same time. 9. It gives them an extended family experience with other caring adults. 8. It s more important that any sports event. Later in life, when they face crises, remembering how many goals they scored will not be anywhere near as important as remembering about the worth of human life. 7. It s more important than a few hours extra sleep. They aren t allowed to miss secular school in order to sleep so why should they miss Sunday school for this reason? 6. Children will value what their parents value. 5. Intentional and genuine religious education feeds human souls. The religious hodgepodge on television and in films is meant to make us feel good but, in reality, it is seductive and empty. 4. Christian values cannot be effectively nurtured except within the Christian community. 3. Children will worship what their parents worship. 2. Adults promise at their child s baptism that they will take seriously their responsibility for seeing their child will be brought up in Christian faith and in the life of the Church. 1. Christian faith teaches that our children are part of God s creation a potential for great blessing. Why should they be denied that realisation? Anyway, they will enjoy it and learn from it.
The Church We Try To Be Recently, the Minister was asked to provide a very short summery of the ethos of our church. We strive to be a place where the diversity of Christian belief and understanding can flourish so that we can witness with authority and integrity to the love of Jesus Christ in the world. Bothwell Parish Church tries to be an assembly of people who are open, welcoming and accepting of all. We try to be a committed family of faith open to all and affected by the questions of those who visit us; for we believe God is made known to us in the face and circumstance of all humanity. We believe in God who creates and recreates all things so that we return regularly to worship; and for rest and renewal. We believe in God who animates, energises and inspires us so that we translate our faith into enquiry and wonder about the world. Deeply rooted in the historic breadth of Christianity, we stand humbly in the awareness of our own boundaries and limitations yet eager to fulfil our potential as human beings. What would YOU have written? Comments, please, to the magazine via the church Office. Christmas to Easter We drove the flocks to Jerusalem, To the spring lamb sales, And the eager collies blithely waved Their bushy black and white tails; Even the sheep seemed anxious to go, In thei nervous, nibbling way, As if they knew there was something ahead And weren t inclined to stray. Trade was brisk in the market place And it was there that we chanced to hear The cruel fate decreed for that Nazarene chap, That sennachie, sage or seer. I minded that night back near Bethlehem,# When I was a prentice chield; When the sky was fair blazed wi starlicht And angels cam to our bield. When we went to that pub in Bethlehem And in the byre, low and mean, We saw in a manger, cradl t in straw, That bonnie new-born wean. Mony a night, over the year we talked, As the camp fire died down low, Kindly submitted by Jack Lewis At the end of the week we mustered At a wee bit roughstone bothy Ayont the glen, right forenenst that hill The locals called Golgothy. From a distance we watched the commotion and dust, The shouts, the jeers and the blood; And kenned it was time, the following morn For us tae tak the road. For the midday sun turned to dark And the dogs gave whimpering howls The sheep were gey restless And even we felt an unco unease in our bowels. So the following morn, we took to the road Sheep annd dogs and men, Thankful to quit that awful place Dreading to come back again. But the sheep and the dogs seemed calmer Knowing something we didn t know; That was to come in the fullness of time; We d seen enough for now. Auld Lachie, who wasn t a young man At Bethlehem, thirty-odd years before Said soft We havenae heard the last o this, No by a lang, lang score. Church Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela Following an appeal by a number of folks, the decision has been made to postpone our pilgrimage until 2017. Though we had secured sufficient to merit a group, I am pleased to say that delaying our pilgrimage will enable more folks to come. If you may like information about the Pilgrimage (without commitment) please contact the church Office. A meeting will be held later in March of all who have expressed interest. HOLY WEEK SERVICES Monday 21 March to Maundy Thursday 24 March at 7.00pm. For Christians, Holy Week is never a comfortable time. It is not an easy week in which to worship and say that we believe in God. During Holy Week we accompany Jesus on his way to the Cross; and, as we reflect on the torture, suffering and humiliation he had to endure, we find that we, also, have to confront the experience of powerlessness and pain that are still the daily reality of life for so many people. This year, the Minister plans to speak about some of the characters who take centre stage during the Week s drama and to show their relevance for our own life s experience. Our service on the evening of Maundy Thursday will include the celebration of Holy Communion. There will be no service on the evening of Good Friday.This helps to highten the terrible drama of the crucifixion itself during the Three Hour Devotion when the church will be open between 12 noon and 3.00pm so that people may enter and leave at will for a time of prayer and quietness. At 3.00pm on Good Friday a short celebration of Holy Communion will be held. EASTER SUNDAY Worship on Easter Day 2016 WORLD DAY OF PRAYER Bothwell Parish Church Friday 4th March at 7.00pm All Most Welcome 3
Ever since the first announcement was made that a new discussion group was going to be formed called Living the Questions, uptake for places in the various groups held has been almost immediate. In the early Spring the present group will meet again to take their discussions further. Perhaps over the coming weeks you may hear about it from those taking part. The course is repeated at different times of the year and, so, if you hear favourable comments and think it might be the sort of thing for you in the future, just let the Minister know or contact the church Office to book a place! Why not join over a hundred others Have Your Details Changed? If you have moved house recently or know of any forthcoming changes, please let the church Office know either by telephoning 854903 or sending an email to Bothwellparishoffice Rona Crate writes. Dear Friends I send my warmest thanks for the support received from Mr Gibson, my husband Angus, family and friends by way of cards, flowers. good wishes and visits during my recent time in hospital and recuperation at home. Thankfully, I am making good progress and look forward to seeing you all soon. From the Organist s Bench (A wee bit further south than usual!) Many worshippers must know or, at least, suspect that I am English. For this, I make no more grovelling apology than is usual, not crave indulgent understanding for my consequent, frequent trips south across the border. However,it seems that I am destined to head a lot, lot farther south and across many borders during the next few weeks. In fact, just as far south as can be gone without finding oneself on the way back again! I have been invited to visit friends in New Zealand and have been asked to temporarily help out by acting as Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral in Nelson on South Island. They are between Organists and have also lost their Dean who has retired unexpectedly due to serious health problems. It is a huge privilege to be invited to fill such a position and I am hugely grateful to be grated extended annual leave from Bothwell to take up the task. I leave mid-february and return on April 10. During my absence, Phil Fox, already well known to the congregation at Bothwell, will kindly deputise for me. So, here s me for a big adventure, already sharpening my baton and pressing my shorts, wondering whether I ll need to play an as yet unknown anthem or improvise a Haka! I will be delighted to convey greetings from our cathedral at Bothwell to theirs. Please remember me and all Saying It With Flowers! Thank You. On behalf of the ladies of the church Flower Committee, I would like to say thank you to all who have contributed to the flower rota throughout 2015 ensuring that flowers adorn our church every Sunday. If you would like to have your name added to our flower list, please do make contact and let me know. If able, you can either arrange thee flowers yourself, or give a donation and we will happily arrange flowers on your behalf. As always, it is a pleasure to be involved in decorating the church come Advent ensuring it is ready for worship over the Christmas period. My thanks to everyone who worked so hard both preparing the church and, then, taking the decorations down again to be stored away until next Advent. Jean Hamilton donated 1136.06 from their special Pre-Christmas Luncheon held last November within the Strathaven Hotel along with a further 1863.94 from past fund raising activities. contrib- Thanks to all who organised and uted in any way. Marilyn Jack. ERSKINE HOSPITAL BENEFITS FROM REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY COFFEE The Session Clerk reports that 80 was raised at Coffee following our worship on Remembrance Sunday. This was sent on behalf of our church to further the work of Erskine Hospital. ACTS MAKE CHEQUE PRESENTATION Members of our teenage group ACTS presented a cheque for 516 to representatives of CrossReach the social work division of the Church of Scotland. The money was raised during December when members of the group made Christmas decorations for sale during Advent on Sundays after worship. The congregation was told that this Donation would help finance the Church s work among homeless people throughout Scotland. 5
Surprise Nativity! The Sunday before Christmas held a great surprise for the congregation when, without warning or any rehearsal, the children were invited to participate in our very own Nativity. To be truthful, if the congregation were surprised, you ought to have seen the faces of the children! Jim Carson narrated the story and unsuspecting members of the congregation were given a part too. They had to look after character costumes for the youngsters to find and put on. While all this activity was taking place, Phil had moved from the organ to the piano and provided incidental and humerous music. If it sounds chaotic it, probably, was. But, nonetheless, it worked! Everyone seemed to have a great time and that included the congregation! So: congratulations to one and all. Friends united in December for their annual Allovus Christmas Lunch. Best bib and tucker was worn, a few songs were sung and everybody enjoyed a superb lunch prepared by Craig in the Chapterhouse Café washed down by a glass or two of wine. Since then, a short break has been taken in January and, now, club activities are underway taking them to the end of June with a full programme of talks, films and days-out. Allovus is open to all Seniors in our congregation and community. It meets on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 11.30am until 1.30pm. Morning Coffee and a two course Lunch is served all for the cost of 4. New members are always given a very warm welcome. COMMEMORATION OF FIRST WORLD WAR Following the Civic service held in our church in 2004 to Commemorate the Beginning of the First World War, at the request of the Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, the Kirk Session gave approval for a special Commemorative Table to be placed within the church to mark the ongoing years of the conflict. The table may be viewed along the west wall of the nave. The tall votive candle represents the declaration and commencement of hostilities and, as each subsequent year of conflict passes, the smaller candles CHRISTMAS HAMPER WINNERS Congratulations to Bruce and Arlene Thomson, Gleneagles Park, winners of our 2015 luxury Christmas Hamper. Hopefully, they managed to get over their initial shock at winning and enjoyed savouring its contents! The Hamper raised over 600 for church funds. A change to normal practice saw the Guild celebrate Christmas by attending the charity concert held in church by Bothwell Rotary Club to hear the Bothwell Philharmonic Choir sing. Thereafter, we crossed the road to the Bothwell Bridge Hotel to enjoy an excellent dinner. After the new year, our session continued with our Burns Night when some foot-tapping music and a good singalong was supplied by Peter McLean. Naturally, the evening was topped-off with some haggis, neeps and tatties! Jim Anderson is someone always assured of a warm welcome return to the Guild as he comes with more of his entertaining travel stories and slides. This time it was to allow us enjoy something of last year s church Pilgrimage to Turkey following the journeys of St John and St Paul. Our Guild is open to men and women. Church affiliation is not necessary: just goodwill towards the Church s faith and a willingness to share our friendships. will be lit. On the table, in front of the candles, lies a specially rebound copy of the record of Bothwell men who died during the War and whose biographies were published by the Bothwell Historical Society. Throughout the year, as each Sunday passes, the pages are turned to tell the tale of each man s life. It is thought one hundred and ten men died from Bothwell and Bothwellhaugh during the First World War. (The Minister gratefully acknowledges approval given by Bothwell Historical Society for their publication to rebound and used for this purpose). 4
Sunday Welcome / Duty Rota Office bearers should please arrive at Church for duty by 10am. Anyone unable to fulfil their duty should please arrange cover. Please note that only two of the office bearers will be required to assist with counting the collection after the service. FEBRUARY 7 J Dalziel, E Dempsey, M Dobie, H Duddy 14 J Crichton, S Crichton, B Gillespie, S Greenshields 21 H Gilmour, J Gilmour, K Hamilton, J Hart 28 I Henderson, J Henry, D Hepburn, L Horn MARCH 6 M Hutchison, M Jack, D Lee, G Moore 13 H Marsh, J Marsh, B Moyes, C McQueen 20 R Parsons, G Ormiston, J Provan, J Provan 27 Easter Sunday Communion Arrangements APRIL 3 B Sharp, S Smith, E Somerville, E Terrace 10 B Thomson, A Watt, G Whitton, A Wilson 17 E Barr, E Buttery, J Carson, N Carson 24 S Cook, D Craig, J Crichton, S Crichton MAY 1 J Cumming, J Dalziel, E Dempsey, M Dobie 8 Communion Arrangements 15 H Duddy, B Gillespiie, H Gilmour, J Gilmour 22 S Greenshields, K Hamilton, J Hart, I Henderson 29 J Henry, D Hepburn, L Horn, M Hutchison Sunday Coffee Rota As usual, volunteers are asked to please swap any inconvenient dates with each other. New volunteers are most welcome to join the list and should please contact Marilyn Jack tel 852138. FEBRUARY MARCH 7 The Frews & The Hepburns 6 Mrs N Carson 14 Mrs J Hamilton 13 The Ormistons 21 The Parsons & The Wilsons 20 Mrs E Buttery 28 Mrs A Thomson 27 Mrs E Dempsey APRIL MAY 3 Mrs C Cahill 1 Mrs J Hamilton 10 Mrs J Craig 8 The Parsons & The Wilsons 17 Mrs S Crichton 15 Mrs A Thomson 24 The Frews & The Hepburns 22 Mrs N Carson 29 The Ormistons Church Flowers Chancel War Memorial February 7 Mrs M Williamson Mrs E Cole 14 Mrs N Carson Mrs V Pringle 21 Mr & Mrs I Wilson Mr J Ferrell 28 Mrs B Sinclair Mr T Abercromby March 6 Mrs J Moyes Mrs C A Cahill 13 Mrs J Smart Mrs D-A Ardrey 20 Mr T Hogg Mrs A Freeland 27 (Easter) Mrs S Crichton Mrs C Livingstone April 3 Mrs L Horn Mrs I Parsons 10 Mrs L McLean Mrs M McWhinney 17 Mrs J Lee Mrs Mary Brown 24 TBC Mrs E Brownlie May 1 Mrs P Mosley Mrs A Walker 8 (Communion) Mrs N Robertson Mrs J McPherson 15 (Pentecost) Mrs H Duddy Mrs M McMurdo 22 Mrs S Cook Mrs M Greenshields 29 Mrs I Gilmour Mrs F Lorimer Sunday Crèche February 7 Hazel Gilmour Morven Donnelly 14 Jaynie Craig Janette Provan 21 Pat Maxwell Julie Wilson 28 Gillian Ormiston Suzanne Smith March 6 Elaine Easton Aileen Hepburn 13 Eleanor Barr Eleanor Terrace 20 Elizabeth French Nan Carson 27 Hazel Gilmour Morven Donnelly April 3 Jaynie Craig Janette Provan 10 Pat Maxwell Julie Wilson 17 Gillian Ormiston Suzanne Smith 24 Aileen Hepburn Elaine Easton May 1 Eleanor Terrace Eleanor Barr 8 Nan Carson Elizabeth French 15 Hazel Gilmour Morven Donnelly 22 Jaynie Craig Janette Provan 29 Pat Maxwell Julie Wilson 6